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With each passing World Cup, the players catch a new level with respect to the histrionics. One of the most common sights on a football field at any given time is a player writhing in pain faking injury. Any first time viewer of the beautiful game would ask himself, ‘what is so beautiful about this’ ?
The World Cup 2014 has had a large number of players falling like nine pins instantly with the slightest of touches. Players falling to the pitch like death has suddenly caught up with them is a sight to behold. Often, fit and healthy footballers fall to the ground wincing in pain, thumping the grass and call for the stretcher as a last resort to save their dear life, sometimes even holding the wrong part of the body which seemingly looks perfect.
But as soon as the doctors arrive, they stand up on their own feet and just straddle back to play as if nothing really happened. Long-time fans of the game know this is the oldest trick in the book and it is a part of every footballer’s arsenal. Every small injury is instantly converted into a deathbed scenario worthy of an Oscar Leonardo Di Caprio would be proud of.
It is all part of the team tactics though, sometimes to get a breather for himself or for a much worked up teammate or the most common reason – to kill time to win the game, if you are on the winning side that it is.
The Wall Street Journal compiled statistics covering players of each country who faked injury and came back on to the field. The time measured here is the time since the referee blows the whistle till the players is back on his feet. If the TV camera cut to a replay, the stand-up moment was estimated. If he was helped off the field, the "writhing" clock stopped when he crossed the sidelines.
The studies showed that the losing team accounted for 40 injuries totaling around 12.5 minutes of writhing time while the winning team, the team with the most incentive to run the clock down recorded 103 injuries. Here
| COUNTRY | INJURIES | WRITHING TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 17 | 3m 18s |
| Chile | 16 | 6m 58s |
| Honduras | 15 | 7m 40s |
| Nigeria | 15 | 6m 25s |
| Mexico | 15 | 3m 58s |
| COUNTRIES | INJURIES | WRITHING TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Ghana | 6 | 1m 51s |
| Australia | 6 | 1m 50s |
| Portugal | 4 | 1m 49s |
| Netherlands | 4 | 1m 39s |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 2 | 24s |
The chart shows the number of injuries and the time spent writhing on the ground. Brazil faked the most injuries in the World Cup while newbies Bosnia & Herzegovina playing their first World Cup are still learning the tricks of the trade.
